. Memoirs of an American lady; with sketches of manners and scenes in America as they existed previous to the Revolution . AN AMERICAN LADY 149 sylvan scene, but was the best barometer imagina-ble, foretelling by its varied and intelligible soundsevery approaching change, not only of the weather,but of the wind. Opposite to the grounds layan island, above amile in length, andabout a quarter inbreadth, which alsobelonged to thecolonel: exquisitelybeautiful it was, andthough the haunt Imost delighted in, itis not in my powerto describe it. Im-agine a little Egypt,yearly overflowed,and of the mos
. Memoirs of an American lady; with sketches of manners and scenes in America as they existed previous to the Revolution . AN AMERICAN LADY 149 sylvan scene, but was the best barometer imagina-ble, foretelling by its varied and intelligible soundsevery approaching change, not only of the weather,but of the wind. Opposite to the grounds layan island, above amile in length, andabout a quarter inbreadth, which alsobelonged to thecolonel: exquisitelybeautiful it was, andthough the haunt Imost delighted in, itis not in my powerto describe it. Im-agine a little Egypt,yearly overflowed,and of the most re-dundant charming spotwas at first covered tury ago, the site of the Al-bany nail works, whose fireslight the skies by night, andsend up pillars of smoke byday. The island has ac-quired a considerable alti-tude since the time of residence there, andis otherwise changed, beingin fact two islands, a narrowcreek running between i5o MEMOIRS OF with wood, like the rest of the country, excepta long field in the middle where the Indians hadprobably cultivated maize; round this was a broadshelving border, where the grey and the weepingwillows, the bending osier, and numberless aquaticplants not known in this country, were allowedto flourish in the utmost luxuriance, while within,some tall sycamores and wild fruit trees toweredabove the rest. Thus was formed a broad belt,which in winter proved an impenetrable barrieragainst the broken ice, and in summer was thehaunt of numberless birds and small animals, whodwelt in perfect safety, it being impossible to pene-trate it. Numberless were the productions of thisluxuriant spot; never was a richer field for a bota-nist; for though the ice was kept off, the turbidwaters of the spring flood overflowed it annually,and not only deposited a rich sediment, but leftthe seeds of various plants swept from the shoresit had passed by. The centre of the island, whichwas much higher
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectindiansofnorthameric
